He thanked the state government for allocating 780 MW capacity Jhangi-Thapan hydro electric project to the company for execution. He said that SJVNL was ready to exploit the untapped power potential available particularly in the tribal districts of the state.

It was found that these units had been operating without obtaining a valid consent and renewal of consent as required under the provisions Section 25 of Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and Section 21 of Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981

With silt level in the Satluj rising, major power projects, having a combined generation capacity of around 3,000 MW, have been forced to stop operations. This will affect supply to many states along with Himachal Pradesh.

“Demands of the truck drivers are no doubt genuine as they are seeking reduction in Central and state taxes by getting diesel under GST so that the price of the deregulated commodity can be reduced. However, the strike is adversely affecting the farmers, especially in Himachal Pradesh. It was announced by the AIMTC that vegetables, fruits and dairy products would be exempted from the strike, but unfortunately the ground reality is different.”